Stallop
Description Stallops are large, predatory insectoids, with adults reaching the size of a horse. They possess typical Vuunegan insectoid eye-style, consisting of a single large, cyclopean, complex eye in the middle of their face, surrounded by several smaller ocelli eyes. They possess the typical six legs, positioned in the Stallop's case in a crude circle: one leg in the very front, two where arms would appear, two straight out to the sides, and one in the very rear. All of these limbs are the same length — however, the front "arm" pair (from now on referred to as the forelimbs) are always held aloft and are used as sharp stabbing weapons; they are only brought down in such events as keeping the Stallop from being physically pushed off a cliff, or to stand its ground in any other way. The other two pairs (the "legs" henceforth are known as the hindlegs, and the "face-butt legs" are known as the gallopers), when stationary or moving slowly (typically only for short distances), are both connected with the ground, to keep it balanced. However, once the Stallop takes off at impressive speeds of up to 35 mph (56.3 kph), the hindlegs lift up off the ground, leaving only the gallopers for movement — this means the Stallops run balanced on only two legs. At this point, the hindlegs are used for balance, and when making a turn (keeping it from falling over by dragging the hind leg on the inside of the turn dragging through the ground if required to do so). Stallops are not picky organisms and will consume generally any creature smaller than them, and occasionally even larger game if a group of them work together to bring it down. However, they prefer creatures that are at least the size of a cat — anything smaller is a waste of effort to hunt on their part. Statistics *'Species Type:' Cold-blooded Terrestrial Insectoid *'Lifestyle:' Somewhat Social Predator *'Hunt/Forage Success Rate:' 100% Hunt (60% success rate) *'Armor:' Stallops possess a durable, natural armor in the form of their exoskeleton. This skeleton can be notoriously hard to pierce, although certain parts of the skeleton (namely, the small areas between each chitin plate) are softer, and can be pierced if an opponent thinks ahead. However, every few months the exoskeleton is shed through ecdysis, leaving the entire body vulnerable. During these times, a Stallop won't leave its den except in emergencies such as wildfire. *'Defenses:' Other than the exoskeleton, the Stallop's main defense is its speed. It can run up to 35 mph (56.3 kph), and won't hesitate to escape if heavily wounded or frightened (although not much frightens a Stallop, and they will generally try to fight off foes as opposed to fleeing). *'Weapons:' Their only weapons are their forelimbs, which are sharp-tipped, and can be used like large, downward-thrust swords. *'Tools:' Mandibles are only useful manipulating tool, and are only useful to consume food. *'Method of Eating:' Kill prey with speed and forelimbs. Once prey has been successfully killed, paralyzed, or become incapacitated in some other way, the Stallop makes sure the coast is clear (namely, watching out for other predators and would-be thieves) and spreads its four walking legs out to get closer to the ground. From here, it lowers its mandibles to the flesh of the victim and tears off chunks of meat. Their mandibles are built to only be able to bite off what they can successfully swallow, and after enough mastication to make the meat more malleable, the mandibles shut and the Stallop swallows the bite. If food is intended for the Stallop's mate, the food is transfered into the crop to be transferred to them; otherwise, the meat travels into the esophagus, and into the stomach. Here it is broken down, until it is eventually passed into the epigaster, where it mixes with the pre-urine. Once everything required for the body has been absorbed while in the epigaster, it is finally excreted out of the anus on the opposite end of the body. *'Reproductive Rate:' Unspecified *'Gestation:' Unspecified *'Offspring Incubation:' Unspecified *'Number of Offspring:' Although the number is currently not calculated, they have large litters, due to their young being so much smaller and exponentially more vulnerable than the adults. *'Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity):' 20% — Stallop mates only take care of their offspring until they can successfully run at a full gait; after which they must fend for themselves. Due to their diminutive stature, they are prey to many animals, and their small size decreases the distance they travel per gallop significantly. Most young die within a year of birth, with the number of annual deaths by age slows down until the age of 10, at which point they are sexually mature and are fully capable of defending themselves successfully. *'Singular/Plural/Possessive:' Stallop / Stallops / Stallopan Physiology Below you will find information on the Stallopan physical appearance, as well as explanations of details spanning from their exoskeleton to their senses. Exoskeleton Like many ecdysozoan-equivalents, Stallops possess a three-layered cuticle, which is composed of organic material and periodically molted as the creature grows, as the cuticle itself does not grow. Musculatory System Circulatory System Brain & Nerve Center Digestive System Respiratory System Stallops lack locomotory cilia, but do possess motile cilia which lines their trachea. This system allows the respiratory system to sweep out mucus and dirt from the lungs, which can keep the Stallop alive that much longer. Senses A Stallop's main sense is sight, using its large compound eye and surrounding ocelli to properly find prey and hunt them properly and efficiently. They also possess a pair of small antennae for smelling and feeling vibrations in the air (for both sound and touch), which when not in use fold into grooves on the face. This helps in preventing accidental injury from being incurred, such as during fast-paced galloping. Stallops are believed to not have a sense of taste, and so poisoning them by baiting them with toxic food is believed to be a good way to do away with them. It is unknown if they possess any form of magnetoception, electroreception, echolocation, or ESP. Social Behavior Despite their solitary hunting style, Stallops can be surprisingly social creatures. Although when out in the wild, males will drive each other off from hunting grounds, they seem to get along relatively well when in social hives. These social hives are generally built out of large caverns beneath mountains or foothills, where the walls have been plastered with organic material that has hardened. Why this is done is not well known. These social hives do not seem to be used by all of Stallopkind; why some will build social colonies and others won't is still disputed. Male Rituals Males are territorial against one another, although these disputes are relatively short and rarely result in violence. When males meet in the wild, they size each other up, and try to make themselves look bigger by raising their forelimbs and standing as tall as they can on their other four legs. The winner gets to hunt in that area — however, should the two meet again, they will dispute the area anew. Mating Like most insectoids, Stallop males produce ameboid sperm cells, while the embryos produced by the females of the species do not undergo spiral cleavage as they do in most other protostomes. Life Cycle Category:Somarinoa's Content Category:Original Aliens Category:Species Category:Extraterrestrials Category:Non-Sapient Species Category:Vuunega Inhabitants